{"id":3224,"date":"2005-03-27T16:28:56","date_gmt":"2005-03-28T00:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhans.com\/eclecticism\/2005\/03\/27\/they-used-to-be-funny\/"},"modified":"2019-12-13T10:56:56","modified_gmt":"2019-12-13T18:56:56","slug":"they-used-to-be-funny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michaelhans.com\/eclecticism\/2005\/03\/27\/they-used-to-be-funny\/","title":{"rendered":"They used to be funny&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='__iawmlf-post-loop-links' style='display:none;' data-iawmlf-post-links='[{&quot;id&quot;:8612,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Steve_Martin&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260308170746\\\/https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/Steve_Martin&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-10 14:11:07&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-19 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18:02:02&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-24 10:26:05&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-24 10:26:05&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:8622,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.amazon.com\\\/exec\\\/obidos\\\/tg\\\/detail\\\/-\\\/B0001EFTH4\\\/djwudicom-20&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260310141525\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.amazon.com\\\/exec\\\/obidos\\\/tg\\\/detail\\\/-\\\/B0001EFTH4\\\/djwudicom-20&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.amazon.com\\\/exec\\\/obidos\\\/tg\\\/detail\\\/-\\\/B0001EFTH4\\\/djwudicom-20&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-24 10:25:57&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-24 10:25:57&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:8623,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.amazon.com\\\/exec\\\/obidos\\\/tg\\\/detail\\\/-\\\/B00005JM4B\\\/djwudicom-20&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/web-wp.archive.org\\\/web\\\/20260310141947\\\/https:\\\/\\\/www.amazon.com\\\/exec\\\/obidos\\\/tg\\\/detail\\\/-\\\/B00005JM4B\\\/djwudicom-20&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.amazon.com\\\/exec\\\/obidos\\\/tg\\\/detail\\\/-\\\/B00005JM4B\\\/djwudicom-20&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-15 11:38:54&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-19 18:02:01&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-24 10:25:54&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200}],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:{&quot;date&quot;:&quot;2026-03-24 10:25:54&quot;,&quot;http_code&quot;:200},&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;},{&quot;id&quot;:6221,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;http:\\\/\\\/click.linksynergy.com\\\/fs-bin\\\/click?id=xLsJkztrnNY&amp;offerid=78941.10000170&amp;type=4&amp;subid=0&quot;,&quot;archived_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;redirect_href&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;checks&quot;:[],&quot;broken&quot;:false,&quot;last_checked&quot;:null,&quot;process&quot;:&quot;done&quot;}]'><\/div>\n<p>When did <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Steve_Martin\" title=\"Wikipedia: Steve Martin\">Steve Martin<\/a> stop being funny? It had to be sometime after 1991, when he wrote and starred in one of my personal favorite films, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/tg\/detail\/-\/B00005QCVV\/djwudicom-20\" title=\"Amazon: Mick Jackson: 'L.A. Story'\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.amazon.com\/images\/P\/B00005QCVV.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg\" align=\"right\" \/>L.A. Story<\/a>. I found out some time ago that Prairie hadn&#8217;t ever seen L.A. Story, finally managed to remember that while we were wandering through Blockbuster, and got to introduce her to it this weekend. As I expected, she loved it.<\/p>\n<p>Still, I&#8217;d watched <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/tg\/detail\/-\/B000035Z3C\/djwudicom-20\" title=\"Amazon: Frank Oz: 'Bowfinger'\">Bowfinger<\/a>, a more recent Steve Martin comedy, earlier in the week and had been singularly unimpressed with it. Neither Steve Martin nor <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eddie_Murphy\" title=\"Wikipedia: Eddie Murphy\">Eddie Murphy<\/a> are <em>nearly<\/em> as funny as they used to be &#8212; in fact, these days I generally tend to avoid movies with either of them. Admittedly, Eddie Murphy has done some worthwhile voice work lately, as Donkey in the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/tg\/detail\/-\/B00003CXXJ\/djwudicom-20\" title=\"Amazon: Vicky Jenson, Andrew Adamson: 'Shrek (Special Edition)'\">Shrek<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/tg\/detail\/-\/B00005JMQZ\/djwudicom-20\" title=\"Amazon: Conrad Vernon, Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury: 'Shrek 2 (Widescreen Edition)'\">films<\/a> and as Mushu in Disney&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/tg\/detail\/-\/B00024I2Z4\/djwudicom-20\" title=\"Amazon: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook: 'Mulan (Special Edition)'\">Mulan<\/a>, but his recent live-action work (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/tg\/detail\/-\/B00005JM4W\/djwudicom-20\" title=\"Amazon: Steve Carr (III): 'Daddy Day Care (Special Edition)'\">Daddy Day Care<\/a>? <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/tg\/detail\/-\/6305499101\/djwudicom-20\" title=\"Amazon: Betty Thomas: 'Dr. Dolittle'\">Dr. Doolittle<\/a>?)&#8230;well, even the <em>trailers<\/em> make me cringe. Meanwhile, Martin, who has two of my favorite films in his past &#8212; L.A. Story and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/tg\/detail\/-\/0767818105\/djwudicom-20\" title=\"Amazon: Fred Schepisi: 'Roxanne'\">Roxanne<\/a> &#8212; has been turning out such quality fare as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/tg\/detail\/-\/B0001EFTH4\/djwudicom-20\" title=\"Amazon: Shawn Levy: 'Cheaper by the Dozen'\">Cheaper By the Dozen<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/tg\/detail\/-\/B00005JM4B\/djwudicom-20\" title=\"Amazon: Adam Shankman: 'Bringing Down The House (Widescreen Edition)'\">Bringing Down the House<\/a> (I&#8217;ll admit that I haven&#8217;t seen either of those &#8212; but again, the trailers don&#8217;t give me any reason to bother).<\/p>\n<p>A shame, really.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/click.linksynergy.com\/fs-bin\/click?id=xLsJkztrnNY&amp;offerid=78941.10000170&amp;type=4&amp;subid=0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"iTunes\" border=\"0\" width=\"61\" height=\"15\" src=\"http:\/\/images.apple.com\/itunesaffiliates\/logos\/iTunes_sm_bdg61x15.png\" \/><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" src=\"http:\/\/ad.linksynergy.com\/fs-bin\/show?id=xLsJkztrnNY&amp;bids=78941.10000170&amp;type=4&amp;subid=0\" \/> &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/click.linksynergy.com\/fs-bin\/stat?id=xLsJkztrnNY&amp;offerid=78941&amp;type=3&amp;subid=0&amp;tmpid=1826&amp;RD_PARM1=itms%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZSearch.woa%252Fwa%252Fcom.apple.jingle.search.DirectAction%252FadvancedSearchResults%253FsongTerm=Blues Line%26partnerId%3D30\" title=\"Search for 'Blues Line' on the iTMS\">Blues Line<\/a>&#8221; by <a href=\"http:\/\/click.linksynergy.com\/fs-bin\/stat?id=xLsJkztrnNY&amp;offerid=78941&amp;type=3&amp;subid=0&amp;tmpid=1826&amp;RD_PARM1=itms%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZSearch.woa%252Fwa%252Fcom.apple.jingle.search.DirectAction%252FadvancedSearchResults%253FartistTerm%253DToyes, The%26partnerId%3D30\" title=\"Search for Toyes, The on the iTMS\">Toyes, The<\/a> from the album <em><a href=\"http:\/\/click.linksynergy.com\/fs-bin\/stat?id=xLsJkztrnNY&amp;offerid=78941&amp;type=3&amp;subid=0&amp;tmpid=1826&amp;RD_PARM1=itms%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZSearch.woa%252Fwa%252Fcom.apple.jingle.search.DirectAction%252FadvancedSearchResults%253FalbumTerm=Toyes, The%26partnerId%3D30\" title=\"Search for Toyes, The on the iTMS\">Toyes, The<\/a><\/em> (1996, 4:13).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When did Steve Martin stop being funny? It had to be sometime after 1991, when he wrote and starred in one of my personal favorite films, L.A. Story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2037],"tags":[2737,3578,2739,2738,23,2736,2741,1916],"class_list":["post-3224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tv-and-films","tag-bowfinger","tag-cheaper-by-the-dozen","tag-daddy-day-care","tag-eddie-murphy","tag-film","tag-l-a-story","tag-roxanne","tag-shrek"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelhans.com\/eclecticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelhans.com\/eclecticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelhans.com\/eclecticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelhans.com\/eclecticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelhans.com\/eclecticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michaelhans.com\/eclecticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3224\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelhans.com\/eclecticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelhans.com\/eclecticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelhans.com\/eclecticism\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}